Petraeus said he and his top deputy, Lieutenant General Ray Odierno, are working on how to carry out a reduction in the extra troops Bush sent to Baghdad and to Anbar province. He said the goal is to do it "without undermining what we've fought to achieve."
As many in Congress are pressing for a troop reduction soon, Bush has resisted, saying he is waiting to receive the advice of Petraeus and Crocker in September.
Pressed on when he thought troop levels could be reduced, Crocker said: "It's going to take longer than September."
He said he saw his mission as ensuring "we're all looking at reality. I don't think any service is done either in Iraq or the US by saying, again, 'It's going to be OK by November.' This is hard. There is tremendous damage that's been done physically, politically, socially and it's going to take time to repair."
In new violence yesterday, a simultaneous truck bombing and rocket attack ruined a Shi'ite market district in one of Baghdad's safest central neighborhoods, killing at least 28 people and wounding 95.
Although suicide bombings are common in Iraq, it is rare for militants to stage a double attack with such effectiveness. The attackers struck about 6:40 p.m. as the Karradah district's market area was packed with shoppers on the eve of the Islamic day of rest.
An explosives-laden garbage truck exploded near the market at about the same time as a Katyusha rocket slammed into a three-story residential building about 100 yards away. Police said the explosions destroyed 17 stores and 14 cars.
An Iraqi military spokesman, Brigadier General Qassim al-Moussawi, blamed Sunni extremists for the rocket attack. He did not mention the car bombing reported by police.
Overall, at least 78 people were killed or found dead across Iraq yesterday.
